Degradation & devastation of the State has accelerated and galloped over the last decade, with those in power choosing to make the best for themselves
Change is the very essence of being the nature of all things and humans, whether as individuals or as social wholes. Goa and Goans are no exception. In the last many decades, including the six of my life, we have witnessed profound changes in us and around us. There have been great and magnificent achievements by individuals, by groups and by sections of our society that have uplifted so many from their previous demeaning condition by sheer dint of their effort and integrity.
I am proud to have been a witness to that, and with that as my vision I have tried to be a prouder participant in and catalyst in the socio-political processes. Alas, what I am actually seeing is nothing to be proud of, the change that right-thinking Goans would ever wish to see for themselves and for their land.
That takes us to the fundamental verity that Mahatma Gandhi had placed before us: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”.
It is precisely on account of our failure to abide by it, on account of the never-ending greed of those in power that our Goa finds itself in the very sorry state that it has plummeted to. The all-round degradation and devastation of Goa has accelerated and galloped, over the last decade in particular, with those we elected to serve us choosing instead to hurriedly make the best for themselves, while the opportunity lasts.
It looks like our forefathers saw the best of Goa, leaving our generation to see the worst, to witness the decay that is scary to even fathom, and what more that is in store for the coming generation.
Personally, I have witnessed in the 70s a much better Goa, administered by 28 MLAs (and 2 more, from Daman and Diu), having Chief Minister with just three ministers. That was an era when politicians had some ethics and morals. Even the bureaucracy at all levels functioned as per the rule book and never acted as stooges and slaves of those in power, or, worse still, as instigators of dirty tricks.
Childhood memories of annually spending a few peaceful and tranquil summer weeks at Calangute where the family would rent a house. Today our local people there feel very unsafe to even step out of their houses after sunset.
In those days, the Taleigao double murder case was the only one we heard of. Today, the ever-increasing number of rapes, murders and thefts, has made Goa a very unsafe destination having now also evolved as India’s gambling, prostitution and narcotics hub.
What Goa is witnessing is a Jamboree of blatant political prostitution sponsored by the now cash-rich and power-intoxicated rulers. Even those in the world’s oldest profession are far more trustworthy.
The fresh air that our forefathers had enjoyed is now history. There has been an absolute failure to ensure a clean and healthy environment. The conservation and protection of Goa’s ecology was vital but in the name of development we are facing the brunt and suffocated in a much-polluted atmosphere, while our forest cover, hills and fields are vanishing.
Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd President of United States of America had so rightly said, “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people”.
Goa today finds itself enveloped in chronic administrative chaos with deep-rooted rampant organized corruption, nepotism and sheer bad governance. In misgoverning the State it has been confusion, contradiction and controversies galore with an unending string of U-turns and reneged promises.
Despite being as optimistic as one can really be, realistically I see it to be an extremely uphill task to now rescue Goa from the current administrative mess and restore the democratic and secular values to safeguard for posterity what little remains of our once beautiful and tranquil State.
Posterity will never forgive those responsible for this irreparable damage and destruction of what was once a beautiful Goa, the Paradise of the East.
(The writer is a lawyer and social activist)
